Key Takeaways
- There are many online tools and apps that can make planning for retirement easier.
- Although all of these apps are designed with retirement planning in mind, each provides different services and methods for reaching that goal.
- It’s worth it to keep searching until you find the tool that meets your needs.
To determine the best retirement planning apps and tools, we evaluated platforms based on their ability to help users track progress toward retirement, model long-term income strategies, or increase available savings to support retirement. We chose based on depth of retirement planning features, ease of use, and platform stability.
While some of these platforms are native mobile apps, others are web-based tools optimized for mobile use; all are practical digital solutions for building and managing retirement strategies.
Here’s an overview of some of the best retirement planning apps and digital tools available today.
Empower: Best for Portfolio Tracking
Empower, available on both Apple and Android devices, is one of the most powerful free retirement planning tools available. It links directly to your investment accounts, bank balances, and credit cards to give you a complete picture of your net worth and progress toward retirement.
The app includes a detailed retirement planner that uses projected income, expenses, Social Security benefits, and investment returns to create a personalized forecast. Users can run multiple scenarios, such as retiring early, boosting contributions, or delaying Social Security, to see how changes affect retirement outcomes. Empower is best for investors who want professional-grade insights at their fingertips.
Tip
A retirement app can be useful, but if you have questions about your retirement portfolio, it may be wise to consult a financial professional.
Boldin: Best for Retirement Decision Strategy
Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is a web-based platform (rather than a native mobile app) that works seamlessly on mobile browsers and is one of the most comprehensive retirement planning tools available to consumers. Designed specifically for retirement decision-making, the free version allows users to build a basic retirement plan, estimate future income needs, explore Social Security benefits options, and project how savings, work income, and major expenses could affect long-term outcomes.
For deeper analysis, the premium subscription unlocks advanced modeling tools, including detailed tax planning, withdrawal sequencing across multiple account types, Medicare and healthcare cost analysis, Roth conversion strategies, estate planning scenarios, and customizable stress testing. Users can incorporate pensions, real estate, side income, and changing lifestyle assumptions to create highly detailed cash-flow projections.
Boldin is ideal for individuals who want hands-on control over retirement strategy modeling and are comfortable exploring scenarios independently without relying exclusively on personalized financial advice.
ProjectionLab: Best for “What If” Scenarios
ProjectionLab is a highly customizable forecasting tool for users who want more flexibility than traditional retirement calculators provide. The browser-based platform, optimized for tablet and desktop, allows users to simulate nearly every financial transition, including phased retirement, rental income, side businesses, college funding, and large one-time expenses.
Its scenario-building tools let users model “what-if” situations that don’t fit neatly into standard retirement formulas. The premium tier adds data saving, detailed tax modeling, advanced withdrawal and spending strategy tools, downloadable reports, and international support. Still, the free tier is well-suited for individuals who enjoy building personalized projections on their handheld devices or computers.
Rocket Money: Best for Finding Money to Save
Rocket Money helps users uncover hidden savings by eliminating unnecessary expenses and optimizing monthly cash flow. The app tracks spending across linked accounts, flags forgotten subscriptions, and can cancel unwanted services or negotiate lower bills directly on the user’s behalf.
By reducing everyday expenses and reclaiming unused dollars, Rocket Money frees up income that users can divert toward retirement contributions or other long-term goals. While it doesn’t provide advanced retirement forecasting tools, it plays an important supporting role by addressing one of the biggest challenges to saving for retirement: finding extra money in the budget to begin with.
What Was Vanguard’s Retirement Nest Egg Calculator?
This free online app, which is no longer available, was designed for people who are nearing or who have entered retirement, to help determine if their portfolio will cover expenditures for the number of years they expect to be retired. It was statistically rigorous and used a Monte Carlo analysis to determine if the user’s retirement savings and portfolio will or will not be sufficient to last for the length of their retirement.
What Was the Retirement Goal Planning System?
This free iPad app, which is no longer available, used behavioral economics to help you understand your own preferences when dealing with the complex problem of planning for retirement. It broke down the problem into “thinking steps.” It allowed you to build a personalized set of retirement goals, which you then could use to craft your own retirement plan or share with a financial planner.
What Was ING’s Struct app?
This app, which is no longer available, was unique because it was structured as a game. The goal of the Struct game was to learn the concepts of risk, diversification, goal-setting, and long-term progress. The elements of the game represented investments in cash, bonds, and stocks, and the player could choose to play as a conservative, moderate, or risk-loving investor.
This app helped players understand the concepts behind retirement planning. It also helped players determine the types of investments and risks they’re interested in making for their financial futures.
The Bottom Line
No single app or tool can solve every retirement planning challenge, but the right tools can help you move closer to the retirement you imagine, one clearer decision at a time. Empower tracks investments, Rocket Money helps uncover savings opportunities, Boldin guides key retirement decisions, and ProjectionLab supports advanced scenario modeling. Together, they offer flexible tools for every stage of the planning process